Specific demonstration of actin filaments in salivary gland tumors using immunohistochemistry

ABSTRACT

Neoplastic and non-neoplastic salivary gland tumors represented by pleomorphicadenoma and chronic sclerosing sialadenitis were selected for theirsimilarities to the normal structural elements of salivary glands, i.e. thepresence of developed duct-like pattern. The tissues were investigated bymeans of immunocytochemistry using antibodies against the filaments of actinin paraffin-embedded material. Actin was demonstrated in tumor cells in a waycorrelated to the topographic distribution of actin-rich cells, i.e. themyoepithelial cells. Also, the identification of such type of cells providesmore information about the proliferating nature of these myoepithelial cellsand its role in the histogenesis of salivary gland tumors